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Cultivators (Farming Simulator 15)
A Cutivator is a tractor-towed device that uses metal blades to dig into the ground, preparing it for sowing . Cultivators are used after harvesting to remove any traces of the previous crop. The base game offers 7 different types of Cultivators. They differ each other primarily in working width, but the maximum working speed, weight, and front hitch are also important differences. List of Cultivators Notes for Table * Power requirements are suggestions only. * The Zunhammer Zunidisc has a unique hitch that can only be attached behind the Zunhammer SKE 18.5 PU, a Slurry Spreader. It is listed in the Slurry Tanks category of the store menu. Overview Once the first harvest has been completed on a field, the uncut stems and roots of the crop remain in the ground, prohibiting the growth of new crops. They must be removed if the field is to be seeded again. A Cultivator is the machine responsible for removing these plant remains from the ground, and smoothing the soil so that the next crop can be planted. Cultivators are simple devices, generally consisting of a metal frame with all sorts of metallic blades mounted underneath it. The frame is lowered down to the ground, causing the blades to dig into the earth. As the Cultivator is pulled forward, it uproots and shreds all plant matter remaining from the previous harvest, and simultaneously flattens the ground to make it easier to sow a new crop on top of it. Cultivation is the only step required to prepare a field for seeding. There is no need to plow the field as well. In fact, Cultivators and Plows do pretty much the same thing in Farming Simulator 15, and Cultivators are far better at this specific task. However, they cannot create new fields like Plows can. Cultivators differ from one another primarily in working width: the larger and wider (and more expensive) the Cultivator, the faster it will work each field. There are also other key differences: Cultivators can be towed by different vehicles depending on what kind of front hitch they have, they impose different speed limits on their towing vehicle, and the heavier the Cultivator the larger a vehicle you will need in order to tow it. Most Cultivators are very wide, and prone to snagging on scenery objects or even traffic. Nearly all of them may be folded up for easier transport from site to site. Field Cultivation The only purpose served by Cultivators is to prepare a field for seeding work. This is generally done each time the field is harvested, to remove all remains of the previous crop. This is necessary even if the previously-harvested crop is the same as the new one you wish to plant there. Sowing Machines will not seed ground that has not been either Cultivated or Plowed. To use a Cultivator, follow these steps: # Hook the Cultivator to a vehicle that has enough power to tow it. The power requirement listed above (and in the shop) should give you a rough idea of the kind of vehicle you'll need. # Drive to the field you wish to cultivate. # Unfold the Cultivator, if necessary. The smallest Cultivator in the base game cannot be folded nor unfolded. # Position your vehicle and cultivator to begin work. # Lower the Cultivator. # Drive across the cow poo. Every piece of dirt you pass over will be cultivated. Plant traces from the previous harvest will be removed, and replaced with fairly smooth ground with very small grooves running along it. This is now cultivated ground, that can be worked by a Sowing Machine. A newly-purchased field will always be already cultivated. There is no need to process that field again until the next harvest is done. After that, you will need to cultivate the field after every single harvest. Note that Cultivators can also be used to remove plants or seeds even without harvesting them. The Cultivator will automatically destroy any plant matter it passes over, including ungrown seeds. This can be used to "undo" a mistake, such as sowing the wrong kind of crop. If the soil is fertilized, the Cultivator will not remove the fertilizer. Therefore, you can fertilize a field either before or after you cultivate it - there's no difference. All Cultivation can be done using a Hired Worker. Plows vs. Cultivators In the real world, Plowing and Cultivation are two separate processes that must be performed on a field to make it suitable for growing crops. In Farming Simulator 15 however, preparation of a field does not require two separate steps; it can be done with either a Plow or a Cultivator. Although the field will look differently depending on which machine you have used to prepare it, the end result is functionally identical. The field will produce the same exact Crop yield regardless of which machine was used to prepare it. The difference between the way these machines work in the game is very substantial, and gives Cultivators a great advantage over Plows, for purposes of preparing fields. While Plows are diagonally-mounted, Cultivators are straight. This means that it is far easier to determine where a Cultivator is going to go behind its tractor as they move across the field. Cultivators also have a much wider working area than Plows, which means they can complete the same amount of work in a fraction of the time. Their wide construction also makes them much better at staying on the ground at all times, and makes it easier for the tractor to turn properly at the end of the field. Finally, Cultivators cannot be rotated, reducing some of the problems that Hired Workers have with that functionality. As a result, for the purposes of preparing fields for sowing, Cultivators are absolutely superior to Plows. Their only downside is that their large width can get them caught on obstacles near the edge of the field, a problem that the long, narrow Plows do not have - but even then, a cheap, narrow Cultivator would usually do a much better job than any Plow. Note, of course, that Cultivators are entirely incapable of performing the other task that Plows can do - expanding fields (read the article on Plows for more information). This is the reason why Plows are actually an irreplaceable piece of equipment. Unconventional Towing Vehicles The three largest Cultivators in the base game are equipped with a Drawbar (Bolt). Not only can they be towed by tractors (like all other Cultivators), but also by the Lizard PiQup and most of the Harvesters. This kind of towing is unconventional, but will work just fine as long as you're only moving the Cultivator from place to place. It is a good alternative if you can't be bothered to get a tractor to tow the Cultivator around. However, note that once a Cultivator is lowered into the ground for work, it becomes incredibly hard to move - particularly the heavier Cultivators, which are the ones that have the necessary Drawbar hitch. Therefore, your towing vehicle will need a lot of power - about as much as is listed for the Cultivator in the table above, or at the shop. Weaker vehicles, particularly the Lizard PiQup, may find it impossible to move the Cultivator at all, or at any reasonable speed. Nonetheless, the largest Harvesters in the game provide so much power that they could easily work a field with a Cultivator, like a big tractor would. *